Strategies for Staying Connected in the Time of COVID-19

This is a challenging time for all of us. COVID-19 has brought uncertainty and disruption to every business and has led to a lot of abrupt changes to how we get our jobs done.

Adapting rapidly to this new environment isn’t easy, and sometimes it feels as if the ground is shifting under our feet by the minute. In a previous post, we spoke about the quick steps we at Indeed took to respond to the early days of the crisis. Since then, we have learned a lot more about what it means to work with an entirely remote workforce — and we are still learning.

In this post, I’d like to look at some of the ways we’re navigating these changing conditions, with a special focus on communications, and how we are fostering a sense of connectedness. These are some approaches we have found to be effective — I hope you find them helpful, too.

Make your communications frequent, supportive and transparent

COVID-19 is affecting not just where we work but how we work, too. Daily routines have changed, making everyone’s remote work experience uniquely different.

Empathy is crucial here. Some have private spaces and are accustomed to working this way; some have children and are juggling responsibilities; while others may be struggling with feelings of isolation. The situation is complicated and constantly evolving, and people will respond to the pressures and challenges differently. That’s why it’s important to show tolerance and understanding — and maintaining clear communications, transparency and flexibility with your employees can go a long way to helping people know that you are there and support them.

Whether you’re a large or small company, here are some tips to remember when communicating with your team:

1. Schedule time for Q&A

Regular check-ins can go a long way to make people feel included. At Indeed, we’ve started hosting biweekly Q&A sessions with senior leaders. In these hour-long calls, employees can submit and vote on questions they’d like to have answered. This not only provides employees with transparent information about what’s happening but also gives senior leaders insight into what’s top-of-mind for employees. It’s a highly effective feedback loop that helps keep us all connected to one another.

2. Keep everyone updated via email

We’ve also found that sending frequent email updates — even when we don’t have something big to announce — helps to put employees at ease. For instance, on March 12, after working from home for one full week, we sent a brief email to Indeedians. This summarized how we were responding to the COVID-19 crisis (tracking employee exposure to the virus), an employee survey (how things are going so far), lessons learned (employee stories of how COVID-19 has impacted them) and resources to support them (employee resource groups and programs). Again, it reinforced the sense that we are all in this together and our ongoing approach to tackling the crisis.

3. Get the tone right

Tone is important in emails and largely impacts how your message is received. We have the opportunity to set a positive tone…